Monday, August 11, 2014

Incomprehensible tragedy occurs Saturday night at a dirt track in New York.

Many of you will wake up to the incomprehensible news that Tony Stewart was responsible for the death of a fellow racer last night. It’s true. But you need to know the whole story – or at least as complete as it is at 5 a.m. ET, when I write this.

There is no denying that the death Saturday night of 20-year-old sprint car driver Kevin Ward, Jr., killed when he was struck by the right rear tire of a sprint car driven by NASCAR star Tony Stewart, is a tragedy almost beyond comprehension.

His team released a brief statement, but it is generic and probably vetted by lawyers: “A tragic accident took place last night during a sprint car race in which Tony Stewart was participating. Tony was unhurt, but a fellow competitor lost his life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. We’re still attempting to sort through all the details and we appreciate your understanding during this difficult time."

A few days ago, the minimum wage in Minnesota increased for the first time in years to $8/hour, putting it slightly above the federal minimum of $7.25. Some businesses are responding to the pay hike by tacking on “minimum wage” fees to customers or by taking credit card service charges out of servers’ tips.

This week, President Barack Obama announced that he was authorizing American airstrikes in Iraq. He described his intervention as a “humanitarian effort to help save thousands of Iraqi civilians who are trapped on a mountain” and as an effort “to protect our American personnel.” One word that he didn’t mention is “oil,” but it lies near the center of American motives for intervention.

The United States is conducting airdrops to aid the Yazidis who have fled the advance of Islamic State militants, but it is conducting airstrikes around Erbil, which is to the east. There are American consular personnel in Erbil, but they could be evacuated if necessary. What Obama left unsaid was that Erbil, a city of 1.5 million, is the capital of the Kurdish regional government and the administrative center of its oil industry, which accounts for about a quarter of Iraq’s oil. The Kurds claim that if they were to become an independent state, they would have the ninth-largest oil reserves in the world. And oil wells are near Erbil.

If the Islamic State were to take over Erbil, they would endanger Iraq’s oil production and, by extension, global access to oil. Prices would surge at a time when Europe, which buys oil from Iraq, has still not escaped the global recession.Oil prices have already risen in response to the Islamic State’s threat to Erbil, and on Thursday, American oil companies Chevron and Exxon Mobile began evacuating their personnel from Kurdistan. But oil traders are predicting that American intervention could halt the rise. “In essence we find U.S. air strikes more bearish than bullish for oil as the act finally draws a line for IS and reinforces both the stability in south Iraq and in Kurdistan,” Oliver Jakob, a Swiss oil analyst, told Reuters.

While many Americans are now doing better than they were during the Great Recession, those dark days took such a toll on many consumers’ savings that some people who are currently doing well enough to pay the bills and enjoy a decent living aren’t able to make necessary longterm investments, like buying a new home or saving for retirement.

This is according to newly released survey results [PDF] from the Federal Reserve.

Last week, a diner in North Carolina made headlines for giving a 15% discount to customers who said grace before eating. While the owner argued that the discount was more about rewarding customers who express “gratitude,” it’s hard to ignore that the discount is described on receipts as a discount for “Praying in Public.”

The customers who shared their ticket with the world also said that their waitress had told them, “Just so you know, we gave you a 15 percent discount for praying.” Not for “being grateful” or “enjoying your meal” or “saying nice things to the cook.” Of course, for all the restaurant owner knew, customers could be praying to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which should always be done before eating pasta in any form.

President Barack Obama has abused his executive "discretion" and so severely violated his oath of office that he should either be considered "chief lawbreaker," or his tenure characterized as one of "incompetent madness," said Andrew Napolitano.

In an opinion piece for The Washington Times, the former New Jersey Superior Court judge said the president has repeatedly rejected the responsibilities of his office and has done so much damage to the "fabric of liberty" that it may not be possible for a successor to reverse it.

On his Thursday show, talk radio host Mark Levin argued that the leadership of the Republican Party must be replaced if conservatives are to prevent the country from declining.

He declared, “If we do not clean out the current leadership in the Republican Party ... the country’s going to continue to unravel, the Republican Party too.”

He blasted “neo-statists” who claim to be conservatives, but “would have conservatives abandon the high ground of the Founding principles for the quicksand of a soft tyranny.” And named Michael Gerson, Karl Rove, Jeb Bush, George Bush, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell as “non-conservatives who pretend to be conservatives.”

“By abandoning principle for efficiency the neo-statist, it seems, is no more bound to the Constitution than is the statist. John Boehner is no more bound to the Constitution, Mitch McConnell is no more bound to the Constitution, and it’s sad to say, the majority of Republicans in the House are no more bound to the Constitution than the statist,” Levin said, adding, “They don’t believe in what we believe in.”

President Barack Obama’s authorization of air strikes on ISIS targets in Iraq serves as an opportunity to remind ourselves which countries are bankrolling the deadly terror group.

The answer; Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Turkey and Qatar – three of the United States’ biggest allies in the region.

Last night Obama announced limited air strikes to slow the advance of ISIS fighters and help members of the Yazidi religious minority group who were forced to flee into a mountainous region in the north of Iraq to avoid slaughter.

However, the administration has failed to put pressure on several Gulf states that are directly responsible for helping ISIS gain a foothold in Iraq in the first place.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oracle Corp. has sued the state of Oregon in a fight over the state's health insurance exchange, saying government officials are using the technology company's software despite $23 million in disputed bills.

Oracle's breach-of-contract lawsuit against Cover Oregon was filed Friday in federal court in Portland. It alleges that state officials repeatedly promised to pay the company but have not done so.

The lawsuit seeks payment of the disputed $23 million plus interest, along with other unspecified damages.

Oregon's health-insurance enrollment website was never launched to the general public. State officials have blamed Oracle, but the company says the state's bad management is responsible.

A New Jersey teacher said he was charged nearly $9,000 after he showed a cut middle finger to a hospital emergency room aide.

The hospital’s CEO Mark Spektor told the station Hanusz-Rajkowski’s visit cost so much because his insurance carrier United Healthcare refuses to offer fair reimbursement rates.

Why is that legal? Why isn’t it considered Racketeering?

Why can Mr. Spektor buy gas without paying $50/gallon? Why can his wife and kids (if he has them) buy clothes without paying $500 for a pair of jeans? After all, his hospital is robbing everyone who comes in there. Charging him like this is exactly what he did to this teacher, is it not?

Tell me, America, is even $400 appropriate for washing and bandaging a cut? How is that worth more than $50 — maybe?

Tell me, America, why do you think anyone should lift a damned finger to do anything for you, to create a single job, to start a business, to do anything other than spit in your face until you all get off your collective asses and put a stop to this ****, locking up everyone involved in it, forfeiting all of their personal wealth and demanding the return of every single penny that was billed at these outrageous rates?

It has been well established under the Constitution and throughout our history that the president’s job as the chief federal law enforcement officer permits him to put his ideological stamp on the nature of the work done by the executive branch. The courts have characterized this stamp as “discretion.”

Thus, when exercising their discretion, some presidents veer toward authority, others toward freedom. John Adams prosecuted a congressman whose criticism brought him into disrepute, an act protected by the First Amendment yet punishable under the Alien and Sedition Acts, and Thomas Jefferson declined to enforce the acts because they punished speech, and pardoned all those convicted. Jimmy Carter asserted vast federal regulatory authority over the trucking and airline industries, and Ronald Reagan undid nearly all of it.

The president has discretion to adapt law enforcement to the needs of the times and to his reading of the wishes of the American people. Yet that discretion has a serious and mandatory guiding light; namely, that the president will do so faithfully.

The word “faithfully” appears in the oath of office that is administered to every president. The reason for its use is to assure Americans that their wishes for government behavior, as manifested in written law, would be carried out even if the president personally disagrees with the laws he swore to enforce.

Camden-Wyoming, DE- The Delaware State Police are currently searching for a missing 17 year old Camden-Wyoming teen that ran away from her home back in April of 2014.

Troopers are looking forTiffany T. Cornett, 17, who was last seen by her family on Wednesday April 2, 2014 at approximately 7:00 a.m. at her residence on Homestead Drive. Tiffany left her residence on her own free will and was last heard from on Friday August 8, 2014 when she made a phone call her mother and brother from a 7-11 store in Ocean City, Maryland

Tiffany is described as being 5’08” tall, 180 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes. She may have changed her hair color and style, and is known to fake a British accent.

If anyone has any information as to Tiffany Cornett's whereabouts, they are asked to contact Detective A. Jones at 302-741-2817 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at:http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet atwww.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

StateStat has been working with agencies to find ways to improve customer service, particularly through social media outlets. The MVA acknowledged at the meeting on May 28th that it needs to do a more effective job of interacting with customers through Facebook and Twitter to improve businesses practices and reduce call center volume. StateStat asked the agency to develop a plan in June to increase its social media presence, and the agency has made definite improvements over the past two months.

First, the agency officially started a new Twitter feed for the Maryland Highway Safety Office, which allows the MVA’s main Twitter feed to focus on customer service issues. Second, the MVA now highlights its social media outlets through a center panel on is website, which has helped increase the number of Twitter followers from 1,454 on May 20th to 1,667 on July 30th. The MVA also started working with branch managers to promote locations through social media where wait times are particularly low or warn customers when volumes are unusually high (e.g. after a holiday closure). Finally, Administrator Chaffee conducted his first live tweet session on July 15th from 11am to noon. The agency reported that the response from the event was positive and there were over a dozen interactions with customers during the hour. The MVA plans to make the live tweeting Q&A a regular event and encourages customers to use the hashtag #askMDMVA on Twitter to ask questions to MVA staff.

While I completely understand the value behind buying freeze dried survival food, like when it may be too dangerous to garden out on your front lawn due to a social collapse, or because of the always real danger of crop failures…

You can save a LOT of money, and get nutritionally superior food for getting your family, or community through tough times, by growing it yourself. You just need to make sure you pick the right crops that can actually get you through tough times. Here’s an infographic we thought would help you in picking the best survival food for growing during long-term disaster scenarios.

HBADE is a Delaware business organization with members that cover every aspect of residential home construction and renovations. Although the primary focus of HBADE is to educate, advocate and organize events to improve the quality of services the members provide, HBADE also seeks to give back to the community when it can.

This year the Associates Council of HBADE will be working with Sussex Vo-Tech students and instructors to design, build and install a wheelchair ramp in Sussex County for a deserving person. Military veterans are preferable, although anyone can apply.

As you recall, we worked last summer with Hodgson Vo-Tech students in New Castle County to build and install a ramp for an elderly recipient in New Castle County.

Death Valley, Calif., which is known for being the world’s hottest location, maxed out at a relatively chilly 89 degrees on Sunday. This temperature – nearly 30 degrees below average – was its coolest high temperature on record for the date by a whopping 15 degrees. The previous record of 104 was set in 1945.

This was only the eighth time that a high in the 80s has occurred in Death Valley in July or August, and there hasn’t been a high less than 90 since 1984. Weather records in Death Valley go back to 1911.

On August 08, 2014 at approximately 0222 hours, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was stationary monitoring traffic on Rt. 90 in the area of Rt. 113 Berlin, Worcester County, Md. A vehicle that was approaching from behind the Deputy pulled off the roadway onto the shoulder, turned its headlights off and activated the vehicle’s emergency flashers. The Deputy approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, identified as Stephanie Ward, 30 years of age from Elkridge Md. When the Deputy opened the door to speak with Ms. Ward, he immediately detected the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver’s breath and person. The Deputy asked the driver if everything was ok at which time she replied that she had realized she was too intoxicated to drive so she pulled over. Ms. Ward did poorly on field sobriety tests. Ms. Ward was placed under arrest and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Ms. Ward was released pending trial.

On August 7, 2014 at approximately 2300 hours, a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy was on patrol on Ocean Gateway in the area of Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin Md. The Deputy observed a vehicle swerving within its lane. The Deputy further observed the vehicle to cross the center line and the shoulder line several times. The Deputy stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as, Miranda Ann Marie Bohn, 19, Willards, Md. The Deputy detected the odor of suspected marijuana coming from the vehicle’s interior. The Deputy located and seized a mutli-color smoking device and a small glass jar containing marijuana.

Ms. Bohn was arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Paraphernalia.

In an ongoing effort to improve work zone safety, the Maryland State Police (MSP) and the State Highway Administration (SHA) will deploy the Maryland SafeZones Automated Speed Enforcement system at the bridge improvement project on northbound US 13 (Ocean Highway) over the Pocomoke River at the Worcester / Somerset County line. The SafeZones program began 2010, however this is the first time work zone speed cameras will be used on the Eastern Shore.

Maryland SafeZones automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras will be deployed on the US 13 Bridge over Pocomoke River beginning Tuesday, August 19th. A 21-day warning period will follow, and MSP will authorize citations starting Tuesday, September 9. The speed limit in the work zone is posted at 45 mph. Drivers excessively speeding by 12 or more miles over the speed limit, or 57 mph or more, face a $40 civil citation.

“Work zones present dangerous conditions and challenges that require extra concentration and slower speeds,” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters. “Considering four out of five people injured or killed in work zone crashes are vehicle occupants, not workers, it benefits everyone to obey work zone speed limits.”

Maryland SafeZones supports SHA, MSP and Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MdTA) in the statewide effort to improve work zone safety. Mobile enforcement vehicles rotate among designated construction zones along controlled access highways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or higher. Large signs are in place in advance of the work zones to alert drivers of automated speed enforcement use. Crews will also place a “speed trailer” to display the posted speed limit and drivers’ speeds in advance of the enforcement vehicle.

“Unfortunately in the short time this project has been active, we’ve seen a number of rear-end crashes, indicating speeding and inattentive driving behaviors in the US 13 work zone. SafeZones is a tool proven to lower speeds and influence safer driving in work zones, where there is little or no margin for error,” said District Engineer Donnie Drewer. “With safety as our number one priority, we’re hopeful that the addition of automated speed enforcement enhances the safety of those working along US 13, as well as those traveling through the work zone.”

Where SafeZones has been deployed, speeding violations have decreased by more than 90 percent. ASE is currently deployed in 13 other work zones in the State. For more information, please visit www.safezones.maryland.gov.

Narrative: On 4 August 2014 at 2:50 PM, a deputy arrested Joshua Williams following a complaint that he had stolen a cellular telephone. According to the victim, Williams also made comments that corroborated theft ofthe phone. Upon arrest the deputy transported Williams to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance,the Commissioner released Williams on Personal Recognizance.

Charges: Theft under $1,000.00

Incident:Theft / CDS Possession

Date of Incident:5 August 2014

Location:35000 block of Sunrise Court, Pittsville, MD

Suspect:Michael D. Fitzgerald, 32, Lewes,DE

Narrative: On 5 August 2014 at 12:00 PM, a deputy arrested Michael Fitzgerald in connection with a reported theft at a residence in the 35000 block of Sunrise Court in Pittsville. In this incident, Fitzgerald had come to the residence there in order to perform home improvements by installing new windows. During the installation, the homeowner had to leave and upon return discovered that Fitzgerald was gone and had stolen her prescriptions of Endocet and Oxycodone. The homeowner also reported that Fitzgerald failed to complete the work as agreed upon. The deputy was able to determine that Fitzgerald had no license through the State of Maryland to perform home improvements. Fitzgerald was located in Lewes, DE with the assistance of the Delaware State Police and it was learned that he was also wanted on multiple warrants through the State of Delaware that included charges of acting as a contractor without a license. Upon return to Wicomico County, the deputy transported Fitzgerald to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Fitzgerald on $50,000.00 unsecured bond.

Charges: Theft under $100.00, CDS Possession and Act as a Contractor Without a License

Incident:Assault / Malicious Destruction of Property

Date of Incident:5 August 2014

Location:5000 block of Spinnaker Drive, Salisbury, MD

Suspect:Kecio Nunes Demelo, 26,Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 5 August 2014 at 3:00 PM, a deputy arrested Kecio Demelo following an incident that reportedly occurred at a residence in the 5000 block of Spinnaker Drive on 3 August. During the investigation, the deputy learned that Kecio Demelo became involved in a physical altercation with another male subject after that subject kissed Demelo’s wife. In this incident,Demelo is accused of striking this other individual in the head with a brick,knocking him down, before throwing that same brick through the windshield of this subject’s vehicle. Upon arrest, the deputy transported Demelo to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Demelo in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges: Assault 2ndDegree and Malicious Destruction of Property

Incident:Burglary

Date of Incident:6 August 2014

Location:31000 block of Carioca Road, Delmar, MD

Suspect:Marcelo R. Soares, 29,Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 6 August 2014 at 11:11 AM a deputy arrested Marcelo Soares at the culmination of an investigation of a residential burglary that reportedly took place in the 31000 block of Carioca Road. Soares was the member of a construction crew that was doing renovation work at this residence. In this incident, Soares reportedly entered the residence without permission on a day the crew was not scheduled to work using a key that was left out for the workers. Upon being caught in the residence, Soares told the homeowner he was just there to get supplies for another job. The homeowner subsequently discovered several pieces of jewelry missing that included earrings,necklaces and bracelets. During the subsequent investigation, the deputy located the purloined jewelry in a local pawn shop and identified the individual that sold it to the shop as Marcelo Soares. Upon arrest the deputy transported Soares to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Soares in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges: Burglary 1stDegree and Theft under $1,000.00

Incident:Fugitive Arrest

Date of Incident:7 August 2014

Location:Salisbury, MD

Suspect:Alton Lee Thomas White, 44,Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 7 August 2014 at 3:45 PM a deputy arrested Alton White on an outstanding Circuit Court Bench Warrant that was issued back on 1 August after White failed to show in the Circuit Court for a DUI case. The deputy transported White to the Detention Center where he was detained without bond pending an appearance in front of a Circuit Court Judge.

Charges:Failure to Appear

Incident:Theft

Date of Incident:8 August 2014

Location:24000 block of Ocean Gateway, Mardela Springs, MD

Suspect:Darian A. Scott, 26, Riverdale, GA

Narrative: On 8 August 2014 at 2:38 PM, a deputy responded to the parking lot of a convenience store in the 24000 block of Ocean Gateway in Mardela Springs, MD and met with a taxi driver in reference to a subject that left without paying the fare. According to the driver, he drove a subject,later identified as Darian Scott, from the Baltimore area to Mardela Springs and the cost of the fare was $220.00. Scott instructed the driver to stop at the store where Scott would obtain the required cash from the ATM for the fare.After Scott did not immediately return, the driver discovered that he was no where to be found. The deputy began to check the area and soon located Scott in the 9000 block of Athol Road, not far from the store. Following a positive identification from the driver, the deputy placed Scott under arrest. Scott was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Scott in the Detention Center in lieu of $10,000.00 bond.

Charges:Theft under $1,000.00

Incident:Possession of CDS with the Intent to Distribute

Date of Incident:9 August 2014

Location:900 block of Booth Street, Salisbury, MD

Suspect:Latasha Yvette Greene, 37,Salisbury, MD

Narrative: On 9 August 2014 a deputy arrested Latasha Green following an investigation into the possession of CDS inside her residence. The deputy initially responded to the address for a 911 call for subject that had been “cut” and upon arrival could not get anyone to answer the door. The deputy was able to see inside the residence and observed what was identified as blood and also the signs of a possible struggle. Based on the 911 call and the observation, the deputy entered the residence and found it empty. While inside the residence, the deputy observed in plain view a box that contained what the deputy recognized as a large bag of marijuana. Along with the big bag of marijuana the deputy also located a small baggie of marijuana along with other empty baggies. Based on what the deputy observed it appeared that amount and packaging intimated intent to distribute the marijuana. The deputy learned that the injured party, Latasha Greene, decided not to wait for EMS but instead had someone drive her to the hospital. During the subsequent investigation into the marijuana, the deputy concluded that Greene was responsible for its presence. Upon transport to the Central Booking Unit, Greene was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. After an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Greene in the Detention Center in lieu of $80,000.00 bond.

Eric King: “David, the man who is counsel to big money around the world, Michael Belkin, just spoke with KWN and issued a dire warning for the financial markets. I just wondered how you see things at this point with the Dow recently tumbling and everything that is happening across the globe? What should we expect?”

Stockman: “Well, the watchword at this point is stay out of harm’s way. We are headed into a perfect storm of policy failures. This is not simply a failure by the Fed, which has inflated this massive bubble and painted itself into a corner with no clue how to get out, but we are also seeing an absolute failure of American world dominance….

Our foreign policy is collapsing everywhere and yet the Washington war party keeps wanting to do more of the same. This confrontation with Putin is utterly out of hand and unnecessary. Now we have a trade war going that is going to ricochet through an already fragile European economy.

Members of Obama Administration are Related to People in the Mainstream Media-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor: This is a forwarded email that alleges that some members of the Obama Administration are related to high ranking members of the mainstream media. Some versions of this eRumor are two graphics showing the relationships of Tom Nides, Ben Rhodes, Elizabeth Sherwood and Jay Carney.

The Truth: According to a May 11, 2013 article by News Busters, "CBS News President David Rhodes and ABC News President Ben Sherwood, both of them have siblings that not only work at the White House, that not only work for President Obama, but they work at the National Security Council (NSC) on foreign policy issues directly related to Benghazi."

The article also said that ABC president Ben Sherwood and Special Assistant to Barack Obama, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall are brother and sister.

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. (CBS Tampa/AP) — The collision was as common as any in racing. Kevin Ward Jr.’s car spun twice like a top, wheels hugging the wall, before it plopped backward on the dimly lit dirt track.

In a sport steeped with bravado, what happened next was another familiar, but treacherous, move: Wearing a black firesuit and black helmet, the 20-year-old Ward unbuckled himself, climbed out of the winged car into the night and defiantly walked onto the track at Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

Here's the SDAT document of the property on Cypress Street where Salisbury's main fire department is now located.

Note the purchase prices at the bottom of the form. Sold to Salisbury Trust, LLC by a local, then to the City of Salisbury by that "investor" exactly 120 days later for a profit of $461,000. 120 days. An appreciation of $3800 per day.

This was Mike Dunn's council. And Gary Comegys'. And Shanie Shields'. All of them voted to buy this property from the investors, whose names remain hidden by their LLC, never to be released to the public.

Think about this next time Mike Dunn reappears and wants to sell you some fireworks. And when Shanie Shields wants to sell you some more affordable housing projects using your tax dollars And when Barrie Tilghman writes an editorial for the Daily Times, telling you who should get your vote in city, county, state and even federal elections.

And then there's the wastewater treatment plant. $85 million down the rabbit hole. $65 million to get it right. Fines in the hundreds of thousands all along the way. Thanks again, Barrie and Mike.

“We’ve heard a lot in the last number of weeks about what police officers can’t do, and what police officers shouldn’t do,” groused Patrick Lynch, designated spokesliar for the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, New York’s largest police union. “No one’s telling us what we are able to do, and what we should do, when we’re faced with a situation where the person being placed under arrest says, `I’m not going. I’m not being placed under arrest.’”

“What is it we should do?” continued Lynch, his voice colored by theatrical incredulity. “Walk away?”

If the would-be arrestee isn’t involved in an actual crime — that is, an act of aggression against another person — the only morally suitable answer is: Yes. The cop should shut up, go away, and refrain from molesting one of his betters. The experience might encourage him to find honest work.

“We don’t have that option,” Lynch insisted. “Nor would the public that called and complained about these crimes want us to. If they called, it’s important to them.”

The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is beginning nearly $10 million in safety improvements on US 50 in Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties. Starting next week, crews will resurface 14 miles of US 50 (Ocean Gateway) between US 301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway) and MD 404 (Dual Highway) in Queen Anne’s County and from Schwaniger Road (east of Easton) to Barber Road in Trappe in Talbot County.

Lane closures are permitted between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. SHA will use portable variable message signs, arrow panels, cones and traffic barrels to guide motorists through the work zones. The average daily traffic on these sections of US 50 range from more than 30,000 in Talbot County and more than 44,000 in Queen Anne’s County.

All work is scheduled for completion by the end of the year. SHA’s contractor for both projects is David A. Bramble, Inc. of Chestertown.

Those who have questions about these projects may contact the SHA District 2 Office at 410-778-3061, toll-free at 1-800-637-9740 or by e-mail atshadistrict2@sha.state.md.us.

SHA thanks everyone for driving safely through the work zone. As crews work to keep work zones safe, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert – look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don’t follow too closely. Safer Driving. Safer Work Zones. For Everyone.

A white teacher who said he suffered years of race-based abuse from his black boss at a Maryland High School was awarded $350,000 this month after he sued the school system for racial bias.

Former Prince George's County teacher Jon Everhart claimed that the principal at Largo High School repeatedly called him racist names and constantly told him and others she intended to fire him because he is white.

The teacher sued citing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which "prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance."

Everhart's attorney, Bryan Chapman, successfully argued that Title VI applied because the school received federal stimulus money in 2008.

The State Department has told families of U.S. Embassy staff in Liberia to leave because of the Ebola outbreak. The department says it made the decision after an assessment from its medical office. It says there's a lack of routine health care services at major hospitals. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Tom Frieden, says the next few weeks will be critical to ending the virus' spread.

WASHINGTON -- An Army veteran is about to return home to Maryland after serving in the Middle East, but his beloved dog went missing while he was serving overseas. Now people in Anne Arundel County are on a mission to bring the pup home, too.

Before Army Specialist Jon Walker, 27, began his tour of duty in Afghanistan last year, he wrote a Facebook post about his 4-year-old German Shepherd, Zara: "Missing my girl so much tonight. I just hope she knows I'm coming home for her when this is over. Can't live without her."

Walker is coming back in August, but received devastating news that Zara went missing about two weeks ago in Crownsville, Maryland. Walker is on a Texas base, waiting to make the final trip home to Kent Island, according to ABC7.

The Obama administration is sending weapons to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic militants in Iraq. U.S. officials are not saying which agency is coordinating the effort, but they rule out the Pentagon. The CIA has taken the lead in past covert operations. But officials say the White House is close to approving plans for the Pentagon to arm the Kurds. The military is helping facilitate weapons deliveries now by providing logistic assistance and transportation. The United States had insisted on only selling arms to the Iraqi government in Baghdad before.

An abortion industry worker left her job at a Planned Parenthood facility – and eventually brought four of her colleagues out of the abortion industry with her – shortly after she witnessed a woman abort her quadruplets. Most of them were delivered stillborn as she sat on the toilet or stumbled through the hallway, writhing in pain.

Two of the “perfectly formed” boys had their arms "wrapped around each other," according to an e-mail she sent pro-life advocate Abby Johnson.

Johnson, who heads And Then There Were None (ATTWN), an outreach to abortion industry employees, says the woman left Planned Parenthood the day she saw a woman having a medication abortion for all four children in her womb.

The email said that the woman came to Planned Parenthood “in obvious pain” after “another abortion facility down the road had given her a very heavy dose of misoprostol to abort her quadruplets. She was already into her second trimester.”

“We guided her into the bathroom, undressed her from the waist down, and instructed her to sit on the toilet,” she wrote.

Then the misoprostol kicked in.

“We were all horrified at the events that unfolded in the next few minutes.”

Georgetown, DE - The Delaware State Police is asking the public’s assistance in attempting to locate a Georgetown man who assaulted his 17 year old girlfriend.

Troopers are looking for George Miller (Photo attached), 22 of Georgetown who is wanted for Strangulation, Assault 3rd, Terroristic Threatening, and Endangering the welfare of a Child after he allegedly assaulted his 17 year old girlfriend while walking along Bethesda Road on July 27, 2014.

If anyone has any information into the whereabouts of George Miller, they are asked to contact Corporal B. Cordrey at 302-644-5020 ext. 209 or by utilizing the Delaware State Police Mobile Crime Tip Application available to download at:http://www.delaware.gov/apps/. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by sending an anonymous tip by text to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword "DSP."

The governing body of one New Jersey town voted in favor of renaming the local Kennedy Center after the current White House head — and calling it the Barack Obama Center — and some residents aren’t exactly happy.

Philly.com reported that the renaming came at the request of Willingboro Township Mayor Jacqueline Jennings, after she recalled how the black population in the region reacted with excitement at the campaign and election of Mr. Obama.

“I think that people have a sense of pride about him,” she told Philly.com. “We had so many new people register to vote, people who had never voted before, people who were disenfranchised. … All of a sudden, we had … people wrapping around the buildings when the polls opened. It was a sense of history. Everybody wanted to be a part of it.”

But plenty of local residents are upset at the town council’s name change.

Monetary central planning is failing to achieve Keynesian “escape velocity” because it has deeply impaired the engines of capitalist enterprise. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the grotesque financialization of American business that has occurred since the 1980s. As usual, this deformation is rooted in the massive growth of debt carried by non-financial businesses.

As shown below, non-financial business debt (corporate and non-corporate) has increased by nearly 8X since 1982 or at almost double the growth rate of GDP. Accordingly, the ratio of total business debt to GDP has risen from 53% to 81% over the last 32 years.

Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press," Andrea Mitchell said President Barack Obama's reason for underestimating the threat if ISIS in Iraq was a "farce."

"The president, to say he didn't have intelligence -- this is not a hard target," Mitchell said. "This is Irbil. We have people there. The fact is, there was intelligence. To say they are shocked by Peshmerga on Saturday night is a farce, The White House wasn't listening."

We’re transparent, but don’t ask for any documents, says the Obama White House.

The most valuable lesson I’ve learned in reporting about Washington is a simple one: watch what politicians do, not what they say. There can be no better illustration of this than Obama’s summit meeting with African leaders last week. He used the meeting as an opportunity to tout the positive role inspectors general can play in fighting corruption in government agencies; at the same time that he was speechifying about this, some two-thirds of President Obama’s own inspectors general wrote a scathing letter to Congress complaining that his administration was placing “serious limitations” on their ability to do their jobs.

Vice President Joe Biden told the African leaders just last Monday that there is “a need to have in every government agency what we in the United States call, and it could be different in every country, we call it an inspector general.” He went on to describe an IG as “someone who is able to roam through every department, like here in the United States, the Defense Department, the IRS, the Treasury Department writ large, the Department of Interior, to be able to look at the books, to be able to look at everything that’s transpired with independent eyes — people who cannot be fired.” He concluded that “widespread corruption is an affront to the dignity of people and a direct threat to each of your nations’ stability.”

While Gov. O’Malley has been out of Maryland in primary states like New Hampshire in his quest for the presidency, we have been treated to the leadership of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown. I am sure that under Brown’s leadership Marylanders have seen no change at all from the last eight years.

When a national poll shows that more than 50 percent of the residents want to leave the state, then one has to wonder what is wrong. Another state poll on Maryland shows that more than 60 percent of our citizens believe that we are on the wrong track and that we need major changes. Can anyone believe that Anthony Brown will make any changes?

We are likely to have a continuation of the 44 increases in taxes which have caused major companies and individuals to flee the state. Taxes are the main issue, among many others. Fees and taxes under eight years of the O’Malley/Brown administration have skyrocketed. O’Malley has raised everything he could tax, including the rain but not touching the sun and moon so far. That may be left to Anthony Brown. The rain tax is only affecting seven counties so far, but all the others will be hit soon. When people are asked what the most difficult issues that face them are, they reply with taxes and fees being first, and followed by jobs and the economy.

The late, great critic of the American Imperium, Chalmers Johnson, popularized the salient concept of “blowback”. That is, the notion that if you bomb, drone, invade, desecrate and slaughter—collaterally or otherwise— a people and their lands, they might find ways to return the favor.

But even Johnson could not have imagined the kind of blowback coming ferociously Washington’s way now. Namely, the mayhem being visited on much of Iraq by American tanks, armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery, anti-aircraft batteries and other advanced weaponry that has fallen into the hands of the very jihadist radicals that have been the ostensible target of Washington’s entire multi-trillion “war on terrorism”.

No question about it. The ISIS terrorists are winning against the hapless Iraqi military and even the formidable Kurdish peshmerga fighters—using some of the most lethal arms that the US military-industrial complex could concoct.

Democrats have been searching desperately for the next Todd Akin. Two years ago, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Missouri shot himself in the foot by talking about “legitimate rape,” as if there were any such thing. It cost Republicans dearly. This year foot-shooting is in season again, and the deadeye marksmen are Democrats.

Sen. John E. Walsh dropped out of the U.S. Senate race in Montana on Thursday. Max Baucus had relinquished his seat early so that Mr. Walsh could be appointed, giving him the incumbent’s advantage against a Republican challenger. Mr. Walsh looked great on paper. He’s an experienced politician who spent three decades in public office, including a term as lieutenant governor.

Tight Senate races tend to focus a spotlight that Mr. Walsh had not seen before. Opposition researchers check the resume first, and Mr. Walsh had padded his. A plagiarism investigation at the U.S. Army War College could strip Mr. Walsh of his graduate degree. His career has been cut short because he took a risky shortcut.

A Kentucky school district is opting out of the federal school lunch program because it says students don't like the meals required under new guidelines, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

"The calorie limitations and types of foods that have to be provided ... have resulted in the kids just saying 'I'm not going to eat that,'" said Gene Kirchner, superintendent of Fort Thomas Independent Schools.

More schools are opting out of the program, which requires use of whole grains breads and low-fat or no-fat dairy products among other things. First lady Michelle Obama championed the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act as part of the national fight against childhood obesity.

But school districts are seeing children throw more food in the garbage. Worse for school districts: Some students are bringing their own lunches, eating at nearby fast-food restaurants or skipping lunch altogether.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides state-level estimations of homelessness every year and also collects data on many metropolitan areas. By official measures, the U.S. has seen a 9 percent decline in homeless population since 2007, from about 672,000 to 610,000 last year.

In the U.S., about 195 of every 100,000 people were homeless in 2013. Colorado, with a rate of 193 per 100,000, is the closest to that average.

An average US citizen or corporate entity who kills an endangered animal can be in big trouble with the law. Birds, eagles in particular, are zealously protected by nature lovers in America and around the world. Yet a July 2008 study of the wind farm at Altamont Pass, California, estimated that an average of 80 golden eagles were killed there by wind turbines each year. The study, funded by the Alameda County Community Development Agency, estimated that about 10,000 other protected birds were being killed along with the eagles every year at Altamont. Where is the outrage over this slaughter? It would seem ecologists have a blind spot when it comes to the wind energy industry. As a result, the carnage caused by wind turbines, the “Cuisinarts of the Air,” is getting greenwashed. And birds are not the only creatures wind turbines kill—they kill bats and people as well.

In the US, birds are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which dates back to 1918. Over the past two decades, the federal government has brought hundreds of cases against energy companies for killing wild birds in the operation of their businesses. For example, in July 2009, the Oregon based electric utility PacifiCorp paid $1.4 million in fines for killing 232 eagles in Wyoming over a period of two years. The birds were electrocuted by poorly-designed power lines. At the same time, wind-powered turbines are killing a vast number of birds each year yet their owners are not being prosecuted.

While the total number of birds killed in the US each year fluctuates, Michael Fry of the American Bird Conservancyestimates that US wind turbines kill between 75,000 and 275,000 birds per year. Yet the Justice Department is not bringing cases against wind companies. “Somebody has given the wind industry a get-out-of-jail-free card,” Fry said, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “If there were even one prosecution,” he added, the wind industry would be forced to take the issue seriously (see “Windmills Are Killing Our Birds”).

The Sheriff leading the investigation into the brutal slaying of a Border Control Agent by two illegal immigrants has revealed local farmers in his county have reported spotting gangs of armed Mexicans 'in military fatigues' marching through their fields.

Sheriff Larry Spence’s department played a key role in catching Ismael Hernandez and Gustavo Tijerina after they allegedly gunned down hero officer Javier Vega Jr. in front of his mother, father, wife and three sons while they were on a family fishing trip.

Since their capture,Fox News reported that the suspects are both Mexican nationals who were in the U.S. illegally and have been deported SIX times between them.

In the predominantly black Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, racial tension reaches a breaking point after two white policemen scuffle with a black motorist suspected of drunken driving. A crowd of spectators gathered near the corner of Avalon Boulevard and 116th Street to watch the arrest and soon grew angry by what they believed to be yet another incident of racially motivated abuse by the police. A riot soon began, spurred on by residents of Watts who were embittered after years of economic and political isolation. The rioters eventually ranged over a 50-square-mile area of South Central Los Angeles, looting stores, torching buildings, and beating whites as snipers fired at police and firefighters. Finally, with the assistance of thousands of National Guardsmen, order was restored on August 16.

The five days of violence left 34 dead, 1,032 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested, and $40 million worth of property destroyed. The Watts riot was the worst urban riot in 20 years and foreshadowed the many rebellions to occur in ensuing years in Detroit, Newark, and other American cities.

CAPE CHARLES -- Sunday evening, a search for a missing eight-year-old boy switched to an effort to find his body.

“I’m losing a grandchild. That’s what I’m thinking," said Gina Granby, who told 13News Now the eight-year-old was swimming with his aunt off Cape Charles Beach Sunday afternoon. They began to struggle in the water.

“She said she had his hand, and the wave just came and knocked them and that he grabbed her hair, and they both went under," explained Granby.More